The Blood Traitor
by vastrajennystrax
Summary: BOOK ONE: Andromeda Black has never known happiness as a member of the most hated house at Hogwarts. But with her sister embracing the Dark Arts she realises that she doesn't want to be the bad witch that everyone expects her to be. But will her growing relationship with a muggle-Born from Hufflepuff isolate her from her evil and ancient family even more?
1. A Lonely Serpent

Even in the deepest dungeons of the castle; the roaring thunder could be heard as if it were an earthquake and the lightning cast the whole room in piercingly bright light. The room in question was draped with lavish tapestries embossed in green and silver that were billowing in the permanent draft of the room; plush leather armchairs were placed strategically over a floor too dark to see during the intervals of lightning. The room was almost completely empty but the two girls who sat by the fireplace kept their conversation to a whisper. The two girls, sisters in fact, resembled only in facial features as the older of the pair had hair the same brown as hazelnut whereas the younger sister's blonde hair resembled the lightning which continued to invade the ambiance.

"I know you're worried, but if it's the path she wants to take then there's nothing we can do about it" said the younger sister.

"It's not that simple" argued the other, "the path she wants to take is the same path which will lead her right to Azkaban".

"You shouldn't get involved, father is thrilled it the news; he thinks it will make uncle Orion and aunt Walburga respect us more-c

"Oh because they're so respectable and honourable are they?! They've been obsessed with the Dark Arts for years and those two sons of theirs' are destined to go the same way!"

"But father says-"

"I don't care what he says!" she interrupted once again; "you and I both know that if our sister turns out anything like the rest of our retched family she'll become obsessed with _him _and become one of his followers-"

"Oh I think it's too late for that" came a poisonous voice from the common room entrance, "The Dark Lord already has my _loyalty_ or obsession as you put it; and as soon as I leave this abysmal school I shall be the first _ever _female De-"

"Do not call yourself one of them!" she middle-sister begged.

"But I _like _it" she sneered.

At the age of seventeen the oldest sister; named after the third brightest star in the constellation of Orion; was at her most slender and it was in her final school years that her raven-black hair went from silk to tangled mane. She wore the green and silver of Slytherin House proudly; unlike the sister she was addressing who wore it with disgust and the youngest cowering in the corner who usually tried her best to look the part.

"How was your Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Cissy?" she asked the blonde-haired girl.

"It was f-fine t-thanks" she stuttered, petrified.

"And what was running through your mind throughout the lesson?" she was slowly moving her hand towards the wand tucked below her studded belt (which wasn't part of the standard uniform).

"T-that they d-don't stand a c-chance against the p-power of the D-Dark Arts"

"Good to hear; and you, sis? How was. . . " it was as if she was repulsed to even say the name of the subject, to even spell it out.

"I had Muggle Studies, _sis_" she imitated sarcastically, "and it was extremely informative and enlightening"

"Do they teach you how to feed them? Teach them tricks? Toilet training?" she burst out into maniacal laughter who drew the attention of the few people remaining in the black leather chairs. With a glare from her eldest sister, Cissy began to laugh nervously but was putting more effort into holding back the tears that her sister was always responsible for causing; at least that's what the hazelnut-haired girl thought.

"I'm going to the library" she said at once.

"It's almost after hours"

"There are much worse rules to break".

She made her way out of the common room and down the torch-lit corridor that was barely lit this far down in the dungeons. The walls were paved with ancient stones that weren't exactly welcoming; but it was understood that the students of her house didn't exactly require a welcoming atmosphere in this school. Before she had remembered where she said she was going and why she found the excuse to leave she had reached ground level and could see through the wide-open doors into the Great Hall. It saddened her to picture the students laughing in pairs and groups of friends on the three tables she never got to sit at, whereas the table on the far left was always solemn; the only '_happy' _conversations being those filled with plots to tease the Muggle-borns and excited talks about this _Dark Lord_. If she wasn't keeping her younger sister in line she usually spend her time in the Great Hall gazing longingly at the students on the other tables, who avoided her simply because of the colour of her tie.

She was suddenly shoved aside by a group of Hufflepuff students who, by their attire, had clearly been at Quidditch practice. The majority of them gave her sinister looks not only of pure hatred, but disapproval; as if she were responsible for being placed in the house that all the others detested so much. Two Hufflepuffs tagged along at the back in ordinary robes; a boy and a girl. The boy had brown hair much fairer than her own and his eyes were a remarkable green; not the menacing green that was emblazoned on her robes but the sort of green that welcomed you a lot more than a stone-paved dungeon.

"Keep away from her, Ted" the girl beside him sneered, "She's a Slytherin, there's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin".

And with that the pair began to follow the Quidditch players once more. But any tears that were about to gush from Andromeda's eyes were suddenly turned to stardust as the boy named Ted turned back and gave her a reassuring smile that made her insides tingle with happiness.


	2. Crucio

"No Dalton! You were supposed to transfigure your piece of rope into a ribbon not a snake!" cried the professor at a nervous Ravenclaw student at the front of the classroom. _He was obviously put into the wrong house_ thought Andromeda. She looked at the snake that was now slithering across the floor and thinking how much she loathed such a creature simply because she had to be associated with it; _just like my family_.

"And on that note we shall end the lesson for today; I want two rolls of parchment on the dangers of transfiguring inanimate objects into reptiles for next week!" The majority of the class gave the Ravenclaw boy looks of contempt but Andromeda was just happy that it wasn't her for a change. In the airy corridor she spotted the two Hufflepuffs she had seen the following evening and hoped the girl wouldn't give her the same unwelcome reception as she sped up to join the pair.

This time she noticed the finer details of the girl who had attempted to ostracise her; her eyes were a golden brown which looked vaguely similar to Andromeda's hair. The girl's hair on the other hand was silky and blonde like Cissy's only more like sunshine than lightning.

"Hi" Andromeda addressed them shyly.

"Hello there, I'm T-"

"I told you, you should be getting mixed up with her sort" the girl interrupted him. But Ted wasn't paying attention to her words.

"I'm Ted Tonks and this is my friend Nelly" he said politely.

"I won't be your friend much longer if you carry on talking to her" the girl called Nelly added snidely.

"I'm Andromeda; it's nice to meet you"

"But of an unusual name, for an unusual person I guess"

"Nelly that's not very nice"

"_She's _from Slytherin! _None _of them are nice to students like us!"

"I'm sorry about her, she's referring to the fact that I'm Muggle-born and she's half-blood"

"Oh well done Ted! We'll be on her hit list now, let's just hope her family aren't You-Know-Who sympathisers. What did you say your last name was?"

"I didn't, but it's Black". At Andromeda's words Nelly became frozen stiff, Ted on the other hand was smiling just as much as ever. When Nelly finally regained motion and senses she ran off down the corridor and into the nearest toilets, before leaving she attempted to drag Ted along with her but he refused to move.

"I'm really sorry about that 'Dromeda, can I call you 'Dromeda?"

"Of course you can, Ted" she blushed.

"I'd better go make sure she's OK, but I'd like to get to know you more if that's alright with you. Do you want to go for a walk with me around the greenhouses this afternoon? I have quite an obsession with Herbology so I hope you don't mind-"

"Not at all, I'd love to go for a walk with you"

"I'll see you later then" and he ran off after Nelly, leaving Andromeda bursting with both excitement and newfound hope for the boy who actually wanted to spend time with her. She pictured the two of them together by the greenhouses, side-by-side near the various trees and plants, laughing at each others jokes and holding hands whilst the sun sets, sharing their first kiss- _Don't be silly, you barely no him. And besides he's obviously going out with that Nelly girl or he wouldn't have been so eager to chase her into the toilets. _Nevertheless Andromeda returned to the Slytherin common room happy for the first time; she even thought the green and silver tapestries had a new glow to them that created an atmosphere of the room being habitable and homely.

"Where have _you _been?" came the hiss she detested so much.

"I had Transfiguration-"

"Your lesson ended fifteen minutes ago"

"I was talking to someone, a boy" she was worried that she would the answer to the next question would make her sister angry.

"What house is he from?"

"What?"

"What _house _is he from?"

"What's that got to do with anyt-"

_"What house is he from?!"_

"Hufflepuff!" But the reaction wasn't the explosion she thought it would be, perhaps she would get out of this conversation unscathed; she was of course very wrong about that.

"What is his blood status?" Andromeda was trying desperately not to cry as she looked into her sister's eyes. "And I'll know if you're lying to me Andromeda". To Andromeda's horror Cissy walked in just as she was answering the question. Her strikingly-blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail today and she was desperately clutching the Muggle Studies book she had asked to borrow from Andromeda; but she was doing her best to keep it out of sight from the eldest of the Black sisters.

"H-he's a M-Muggle-born" Andromeda stuttered, even though she had always tried her best to stand up to the practiser of the Dark Arts who brought the family so much pride and respect, but who was also the reason why so many students avoided even looking at any of them, _Nelly wasn't the first and she won't be the last._

_"Crucio!"_ screamed Bellatrix. Andromeda's insides writhed in agony as she collapsed to the floor in a sea of tears that her partially hers and partially Cissy's. Her vision had become distorted and blurry and all she would make out through the brutal haze was her sister's wand pointing at her with determination and perhaps even sadistic pleasure.

"If you ever, _ever, _speak to this boy again I expect you to use that curse on _him_ or I will use a different unforgivable curse on _both of you!_" As she stormed out of the room and up into the dormitories, she tangle of frizzled black hair moving independently from the rest of her body with each step, she didn't once look back at the limp form on the emerald carpet that was her own sister.

"Andromeda, _Andromeda!_" cried Cissy oh so desperately, needing her _good _sister now more than ever, but Andromeda couldn't see or hear she could see was a bright yellow tie and a head of fair brown hair; all she could heard was the lovable voice of the boy that make her sister torture her, _can I call you 'Dromeda?_


	3. Forgive Me

"'Dromeda, why is everyone afraid of the Black family?"

She was surprised that it had taken him so long to finally start asking questions, it was clear that Nelly had been too scared to tell him anything. _I am _not _my sister_ she thought to herself; it had taken all her effort, and Cissy's help, to make herself anywhere near presentable for her walk with Ted after what had happened with Bellatrix back in the Slytherin common room, but she was glad she had come out.

"It's . . . complicated" she replied feebly.

"Everyone's complicated, that's what makes us all unique"

"It's this You-Know-Who guy that everyone keeps talking about. He's a dark wizard who wants to get rid of all half-bloods and Muggle-borns, even Muggles themselves; my sister has started to show him some loyalty and has started enforcing this _horrible _man's ideas as much as she can, everyone's scared of her".

"So why are they afraid of you, too?"

"My parents have been really supportive of Bellatrix, they think it makes the other branches of the Black family respect them more. Cissy's too scared to say she doesn't agree with Bellatrix's life choices so I'm the only one who is visibly opposed to the Dark Arts".

"But that still doesn't explain why people avoid you"

"Because I'm a Bla-"

"And? People don't notice the sympathetic, intelligent and beautiful girl underneath the Slytherin robes? The same girl that I've noticed for a while now?" She couldn't help but blush and cry a little, "You really think I'm beautiful?"

"I think you are so much more than what people give you credit for, and yes you are, I noticed that when we were being sorted over four years ago".

"Seriously? Didn't it bother you that I was in Slytherin?"

"Of course not! I wish I'd had the courage to speak to you back when we were first years, because a lot of people looked quite appalled that you had been sorted in Slytherin but I'd seen you before the hat had spoken, so I got to see the real you". The sudden revelation that Ted had admired her all this time was just as much a relief as it was a shock and it made Andromeda slightly guilty that she'd only known him for nearly two days. But all she same it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her before, and made her feel all the more closer to the boy who actually talked to heer.

"What about Nelly?"

"We went to Primary School together, that's all"

"Primary?"

"It's a Muggle school for kids younger than eleven and obviously we didn't know we were meant for Hogwarts until we got the letters, but she's never been anything more than my best friend".

"She hates me, doesn't she?"

"In our second year the infamous juvenile Bellatrix Black used a stunning spell on her and hung her by the feet from a couple of the floating candles in the Great Hall. It's your sister she hates, she just hasn't realised yet that you're not like her".

"I don't remember that" Andromeda was genuinely surprised and horrified.

"Professor Dumbledore wasn't far away when it happened so it was brushed over fairly quickly. Her parents still felt she was safe in the castle but Nelly had never really gotten over her paranoia at the Slytherins".

They stood in silence for a long time. A small group of birds were soaring above their heads and they could hear the swishing sounds coming from the plants in the greenhouses. For the first time this week the rain had eased off and there was no warning of any approaching lightning strikes, it was as if the skies were reflecting Andromeda's feelings of serenity and potential l- but she didn't know if she had the courage to use that word yet. _Two days, I've only known him two days_.

"Forgive me 'Dromeda" Ted whispered suddenly.

"What for?"

But she didn't get her answer straightaway. When she looked over at the boy with the green eyes and the fair hair she met his lips with her own and was too mesmerised to ask again. She felt a warm that she had never gotten from the hours she would sit by the fire in the common room, a sense of belonging she would never get from spending time with her corrupt family. She barely knew what she was doing as she put her hands in his hair and took as much as the warmth and belonging she could in case she never had the chance to feel the same way again. But then she was bitten by the harsh cold that the sunlight hadn't yet banished as Ted finally pulled away from her, but he did it for breath rather than repulsion.

"Forgive you for what?" she panted.

"For kissing you without consent, I couldn't resist"

"Don't tell me you've been waiting over four years for that as well"

"No" he smiled, "nearly five". She couldn't help throwing her arms around him and pulling him in for an embrace which represented all her emotions at once, and although she never expected him to say it back she knew that it represented the new love she had for Ted Tonks.

_"Oppugno"_. She beautiful group of birds that had been soaring above their heads now moved in attack formation at Andromeda as if they intended to sent her on her way like she wasn't worthy of being there.

"Nelly! What are you doing?" shouted Ted, as the girl with the blonde hair sent the birds she had created all the more determinedly in Andromeda's direction. But as she ran away from the greenhouses she didn't seem all that concerned that Nelly didn't want her around, because she saw she angry look that Ted gave Nelly which said that he never wanted Andromeda to have to leave his side again. The angry look she didn't see was the one seared onto the face of the figure watching from the bushes. Filled with betrayal, rage and a murderous desire for revenge Bellatrix strode away in the opposite direction before she could tempt herself into making the Muggle-born scream.


	4. The Protector

"I'm going to ask you again and _this _time I want you to answer me _honestly!"_

"I t-told you I d-don't know a-anything"

_"Crucio!"_

Andromeda watched the scene, concealed by the darkness, as her youngest sister was tortured by her eldest sister. She knew what it felt like to undergo that terrible jolt of agony and suicidal dread that she cried for Cissy more than she'd cried for herself. Her tears were partially from the knowledge that it was her fault this was happening and yet she couldn't move from fear.

"One more time, what has she told you about this mudblood?! Where does she go with him?! What does he know about us?!"

"I don't-"

_"Crucio!"_

After finally regaining the ability to move Andromeda left the Slytherin common room unnoticed, defending Cissy would only anger Bellatrix even more and she always took out her anger on the younger, more vulnerable of the Black sisters.

The library, where Andromeda spent most of her time outside lessons, was quieter than usual. Her favourite elements of the library were the paintings of various magical authors at the end of the bookcases; many of them were friendly and gave her tips when she was writing essays about their books. Her favourite was Newt Scamander; who had got her Outstandings on all her essays for Care of Magical Creatures since she was a third year and it was the same humble wizard she went to talk to now.

"Good afternoon, Mr Scamander"

"Aha! Good to see you my dear, how was your Muggle Studies lesson this morning?"

"Wonderful as usual Newt, Which reminds me I forgot to ask about Primary Schools, I'll ask Mrs Caphelia tomorrow".

"I'm afraid that could be a problem, Miss Black. Tonight all of us paintings are being taken down and stowed away"

"Really? Why?" she was genuinely upset at the news.

"The head of Hufflepuff house has accused the Ravenclaws of cheating; it appears a small handful of fourth years smuggled Phyllida Spore into a Herbology exam. Which reminds me, a Hufflepuff girl with blonde hair has been looking for you, she might have left now but she said she would be near the restricted section".

"I'll go there right away, thank you Mr Scamander. I guess this is goodbye" she let out a few tears despite herself but regained control before approaching who she thought and feared would be Nelly.

She wondered what Ted saw in her when she reached the entrance to the restricted section, because Nelly was in fact a beautiful girl. Her nose was a bit small and some would say that she was a bit too tall for a fifth year, but nevertheless it made Andromeda feel once again like she didn't belong. She was about to reluctantly tap Nelly on the shoulder but before she could the girl from Hufflepuff interrupted her.

"I bet he told you about Primary School, didn't he?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me. He told you about us growing up together as Muggles, how we got our letters for Hogwarts together, how we've always known each other but we've just been best friends".

"He did, yes".

"I bet he didn't tell you about the time he got bullied by some older kids for making a tree root trip one of them up and how I got a branch to fall on their heads. How we won the talent competition when we were nine because he was too nervous to perform the magic trick so I did it for him. When I got two buses to his parents' house every night to tell him about the dragons of Romania and the gnomes at Ottery St Catchpole where I lived. He probably didn't tell you about our first trip to Diagon Alley; we have exactly the same wand, elm and unicorn hair. What about the sorting ceremony? When we both got sorted into Hufflepuff but he spent the whole feast looking at you at the Slytherin table! Or in our second year when he and Professor Dumbledore rescued me from one of _your _sister's pranks!"

"He never said he was there" Andromeda whispered.

"Its not just me who watches over him, he's _my _protector too, he doesn't even know how much he protects me but he always has done!" she was crying now and for the first time in the time she'd known her she looked weak and, for once, human.

"What do you mean?" she asked Nelly.

_"Expecto Patronum!" _A burst of white light erupted from the end of Nelly's wand; Andromeda now noticed that it was in fact identical to Ted's. The blinding light took the form of a great bear that stood on its hind legs as if determined not to let anything harm the blonde girl. The bear patrolled the perimeter around Nelly with eyes that were familiarly welcoming and friendly.

"A bear?"

"A Teddy, the Teddy who'll always protect me" and now both girls, the blonde in yellow and the brunette in green, were crying a river between them, and the great bear ceased to exist almost immediately.

"I- I had no idea you liked him so much"

"That's an understatement. I _love _him, and I know he loves you instead but I learned the Patronus Charm a year ago and it's always been _him_ and I know that it always will be". Andromeda's anger at Nelly evaporated as her story progressed and she now knew that it was appropriate to move closer to her.

"I'm so sorry, Nelly. If he knew all this-"

"Then he would look at me in the longing way I've looked at him all this time and use that charming voice of his to tell me how sorry he is but that he's fallen in love with someone else. Don't apologise, Black, I came to terms with this a long time ago".

"Then why have you tried to send me away?"

"Because not only did he have to fall in love with a Slytherin whose family are all You-Know-Who supporting Death Eaters, but he also had to fall in love with someone who looks at him the same way I do; someone who is much more worth loving than I am".

"But-"

"You're not your sister, Black. You take Muggle studies, you're clearly in love with a Muggle-born and you're friends with paintings! Although I have to admit that Scamander guy is a hoot-and-a-half!" Their crying ceased and the two girls began laughing. As much as she was glad to have found someone like Ted for her to love, she was even happier to find a friend like Nelly who, despite their conflicts and differences, finally made her feel like she belonged.


	5. Blood Traitor

Andromeda had practically run from the library and her new kindled friendship into the trauma and torment of the hospital wing. It was the voice of Newt Scamander's portrait echoing down the hallway which had warned her of what had happened and that she needed to go right away. Despite the happiness she felt just a few short moments ago, the vast corridors and passageways of the castle seemed more dark and lonely than ever. Her frantic path into the hospital wing itself was met by the matron, Ted (who answered with "I don't know, I was sent for" after Andromeda had asked him why he was there) and two Slytherin boys she recognised but couldn't quite place.

She guessed that one of them was a seventh year and one a sixth year and could have sworn she'd seen them loitering in the common room before now, the older boy was sat in the corner almost completely hidden by shadow whereas the other was more immanent to the chaos of the hospital wing. His grey eyes looked at Andromeda for no more than a second and then resumed its concerned gazed towards the patient, whom he was currently sitting besides.

"Cissy!" she cried as she recognised the girl with thee lightning hair unconscious in the bed. She felt the squeeze of Ted's reassuring hand in hers before she approached her injured sister.

"What happened to her?" she asked the grey-eyed boy; his hair was a similar white-blonde to Cissy's but instead of flowing down the back it was cut at the shoulders. The boy now looked at her consolingly; he was wearing a prefect's badge.

"She was found by some fellow Slytherin students outside the entrance to the common room. She appears to have had a rather unpleasant fall and gained some scars in the process" and he pointed his wand at various cuts and bruises on Cissy's face with the tip of his black wand, which was unusually topped with a gaudy silver snake's head.

"Are you her sister?" he asked professionally.

"One of them, yes. Who are you?"

"I'm sorry, I'm Lucius Malfoy; a sixth year prefect for Slytherin. It was me who the students who found your sister brought her to. I accompanied her to the hospital wing and I felt it was my duty to wait here for her to wake".

"Thank you" Andromeda replied, "But you don't have to stay any longer, I can stay with her now".

"No it really isn't a problem. I've quite enjoyed out little conversations together".

"She's been awake?"

"Just for a few seconds at a time"

"Did she say who attacked her?"

"She says she can't remember, but we have been completely assured that it was an accident what happened to her". Andromeda couldn't make up her mind about Lucius Malfoy, but she knew for a fact that what had happened to Cissy was no accident and she could tell that Ted, who was stood not too far away at this point, was thinking the same thing. The scars and bruises were clear notifications of the Cruciatus Curse and just below the neck she could see the words _blood traitor_ scratched into the skin.

"Matron, what's this?"

"Oh my; those words! I think this was an attack after a-"

It was the smallest whisper and it appeared only she had noticed it, maybe she'd imagined it completely, but Andromeda thought she heard the slightest whisper from the back of the room where the other Slytherin boy was sat in the dark. Just one word; _obliviate._

"What were you saying dear?" the matron asked, and it suddenly dawned on her why she had heard the whisper; why Cissy couldn't remember anything about the attack, and why Ted had been mysteriously summoned to the hospital wing.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter" she said; making her way towards the exit, but not before desperately grabbing Ted's wrist and pulling him along with her in the same way Nelly had done when she ran off to the bathroom, only this time he complied; she wasn't going to let him take him, it was her turn to be the protector.

"What's going on, 'Dromeda?" he asked inquisitively when they were a good distance away from the hospital wing.

"Cissy was tortured by Bellatrix for being a blood traitor and I think her friends are after you next".

"Then aren't you in danger of being hurt too?"

"Bellatrix already knows we have our disagreements"

"I don't want to see someone I love get hurt-"

"Well neither do I!" The look they shared could have lasted an eternity, the courage that they mustered to say those three words could have matched Godric Gryffindor's. But he was the Hufflepff who wasn't afraid to be in love with a Slytherin and she was the pure-blood who wasn't afraid to be in love with a Muggle-born.

"I love you"

"I love you, too". They said the words at the same time and just as simultaneously their lips locked together like they were puzzle pieces that someone had been trying to put together for a long time; they fit perfectly. She threw her arms around his neck and leaned into him as if just by holding him she could guarantee that he would always be safe and always be hers. He put his own arms around her waist and gave her a look as if to say that he would do his best to make sure he never had to leave her. When they held each other like this it was almost as if they were each other's Patronus; because nothing could get in the way of an unorthodox love that was as protective as theirs was.

"Dementors! In the castle!" came a dismayed cry from one of the professors running in the direction of Dumbledore's office, but before either of them could ask any questions the panicked teacher had disappeared round corner.

_"Stupefy!"_ Andromeda was thrown into a nearby pillar as the stunning spell hit her full in the chest. She glimpsed the Slytherin boy who had been hidden by darkness in the hospital wing as he lowered his wand and charged straight for Ted.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ Ted cried, pointed the wand which was twin to Nelly's in the menacing boy's direction, but the snide laugh told them that the jinx had missed.

"_Petrificus Totalus!" _the spell met its target this time, only this time it wasn't Ted who was casting the offense. He dropped to the floor completely paralysed and was grabbed by the ankle by his attacker.

"Who are you?! Where are you taking him?" Andromeda asked frantically, regaining her senses.

"Who am _I?_ Bella obviously doesn't tell her sisters abou' her social life does she? _You, _blood traitor, are goin' ter' be my sister-in-law"

"What?!"

"Bella's parents are over the moon, what with me plannin' on joinin' the Dark Lord after we've sorted a few things out. They approved the engagement; gettin' married as soon as we leave this dump! Which should be pretty soon if we get these few things sorted out".

"Like what?"

"Killin' this mudlood o'course! Can' have 'im pollutin' our bloodlines now can we? Me an' Bella are gonna' rough 'im up a bit first though, I'm thinkin' all _three _o' the unforgivable curses!"

"No! You can't!"

"Then we'll get you married to Malfoy; although sayin' that he's grown attached to that retch of a younger sister o' yours"

"Leave him alone!"

"Gotta' go, blood traitor"

"No!" But they were gone before she'd screamed the protest at the top of her lungs. The stunning jinx had now completely worn off, but it was too late. Ted had been taken away by Rodolphus Lestrange; who she now recognised as Bellatrix's 'boyfriend' even though she treated him like her minion; she felt completely stupid for not realising it before. She ran, not in the direction of Rodolphus and Ted, but towards the library where she hoped the protector would be waiting to help her.


	6. Black and White

The library felt cold and less welcoming without the paintings of the magical writers to greet her as she walked past the aisles, but Andromeda didn't have much time left and she needed to find Nelly. She was staring at the blank canvas which until an hour ago was the home of Newt Scamander, and she looked up only when Andromeda approached.

"I need your help"

"What's wrong?"

"Ted's been taken by Rodolphus Lestrange and he's going to take him to Bellatrix to be tortured and murdered; also they're getting married".

"Priorities!"

"Sorry, so we need to find them before they hurt him. I know now that we share one thing in common and that's how much we love Ted so I need you to be his protector one last time" she was worried that Nelly wouldn't cooperate.

"Let's get going then" was her answer, much to Andromeda's relief, but before they could leave the library Nelly blocked the door. "Just one thing, though"

"What is it?"

"I'll always be his protector".

In silence the two girls ran down the series of staircases that separated the second floor from the entrance hall and almost knocked over ever sconce in the process. Much to their dismay, however; there was no sign of Bellatrix, Rodolphus or Ted.

"Does it feel cold to you?"

"The greenhouses"

"What?"

"The greenhouses; torture doesn't always have to be physical, and that's where Ted first told me he loved me; he loves Herbology as well, they'll know it means something to him, it'll make it worse for him to deal with".

"Then what are we waiting for? And _why _is it so cold?"

"A teacher said something, about-" but a sudden cry of anguish caused Nelly to run off into the cold mist with a mixture of fear, determination and adrenaline and it was difficult for Andromeda to keep up with her. The glass panes of the greenhouses had become opaque from the mist which was slowly creeping its way into Andromeda's personal space and before she could react her biggest fear had come true; the cloaked and faceless prison guards from Azkaban were surrounding them both. She had seen them once before, when she was taken to the wizard prison to visit one of her distant cousins and ever since she had dreaded a reunion with the dementors.

"Think of your happiest memory"

"What?"

"Say the spell and think of your happiest memory". It was Nelly' barely visible in the misty courtyard. Andromeda pictured three memories; her first kiss with Ted outside the greenhouses, her newfound respect for Nelly in the library, and her last kiss with Ted outside the hospital wing. She knew only too well that Ted would be somehow involved in Nelly's happiest memories too.

"_Expecto Patronum!"_they chanted together. The brightest light she had ever seen erupted from the two wands and in seconds the mist was cleared. This time not one, but two great bears had emerged and together they ran after the dementors with as much determination as the witches who conjured them. When the path was cleared, four welcoming eyes looked in their direction obediently before both bears vanished completely.

"We have-"

"Our Patronuses-"

The two girls hugged each other as if they had been friends for years; they truly did share one thing in common and right now that thing was a fair-haired boy who needed rescuing. And so the Slytherin and the Hufflepuff ran into the clearing with their wands and their heads held high.

"_Stupefy!"_bellowed Andromeda, whose jinx knocked the startled Rodolphus off his feet and into the side of the nearest greenhouse; which shattered into a thousand pieces upon impact.

_"Reparo!" _Nelly cried, creating a makeshift prison for Rodolphus as the greenhouse sealed him in. Andromeda disarmed him before the panes where fixed so he couldn't blast his way back out again. Only now did the duo notice Bellatrix stood on top if a bench in the middle of the courtyard, her wand pressed firmly against Ted's neck.

_"Crucio!"_ as Ted writhed in pain Andromeda lunged at her sister with the intention of duelling her without magic or wands. She grabbed Bellatrix by her wiry hair and pulled her off her 'pedestal' onto the ground. She retaliated by clawing furiously at Andromeda's face, spilling the blood she thought was so precious. Both sisters found their wands hidden in the grass but the darker of the two was much quicker.

_"Incendio!"_ flamed erupted out of the darkness and Andromeda could feel her hair being slowly singed away at the tips. Nelly was too busy trying to reach Ted to help her, and to everyone's horror Bellatrix hadn't finished yet.

_"Engorgio!"_ she screamed murderously. The flames expanded and were suddenly flying across the cremated grass towards were Andromeda lay helpless. Fortunately, with much painful effort, she got to her feet and ran towards another of the greenhouses which had a pile of stacked boxes for her to climb on.

_"Petrificus Totalus!"_ she shouted from the greenhouse roof. The jinx missed Bellatrix by inches but all the same she saw the transformation between angry delinquent to loyal Death Eater. Andromeda had no means of defence and no chance of rescue as Nelly was running towards the trees and Ted had disappeared from view.

"You would _dare _take me on? You may be a Black by name but _I'm _the true pure-blood and don't think for one second that I won't kill you. You're no better than a filthy mudblood whereas I will serve the Dark Lord as his most loyal servant. And when he rises to power I will be by his side in a seat of power whereas you and your _precious_ disgusting mudblood friends will be running for your lives, that's if I don't kill you all tonight!" She was truly lost to the Dark Arts. If it were possible her hair had grown darker and coarser as the night wore on and the fire grew thicker; she was no longer Bellatrix Black, _she's Bellatrix Lestrange_, Andromeda thought solemnly; after everything that'd happened she was till distraught to see her sister transform into the monster that had been lingering in its cage for a while now.

"Do it then, use the killing curse! All _Death Eaters _should use it at least once, shouldn't they?"

"I think I'll burn you alive instead, sweet sister". The flames responded to the flourishing of her wand as if it were one of her minions like Rodolphus or even, to an extent, like Cissy. But at that moment she was ready to die, because she felt the familiar warmth in her hand that came from him holding it so gently.

"Together?"

"Together". They kissed for what they knew to be last time; and it was the heat of the passion which expressed their emotions rather than the heat of the oncoming fire. Andromeda hoped that the remains of their bodies would be found together; the irony that the professors and students wouldn't be able to tell apart the pure-blood from the Muggle-born.

_"Aguamenti!"_

A rush of cold spread over them whilst they sat huddled together on top of the greenhouse. But this wasn't the same cold that the dementors mixed with fear and dread, but the refreshing cold of rushing water which told them that the girl from Hufflepuff was in fact always going to be the protector. The couple opened their eyes to see Nelly's sleek blonde hair billowing in behind her in the breeze of the stream that emanated from the wand that reminded Andromeda so much of the boy she was embracing. The fire was consumed within seconds, causing smoke to float into the air above their heads like a dark Patronus. Nelly was looking at them both as if for the first time; she now saw the immense connection that was never reciprocal between her and Ted, and looked as if she was finally truly happy that the boy she loved had found love himself, even if it wasn't with her. She smiled at them as she began to make her way across the courtyard-

_"Avada Kadavra!"_

The green light came soaring from two directions, this time the green was similar to that of the Slytherin robes as expected. Andromeda looked first at Bellatrix's wand from near the bench on the opposite side of the courtyard, and then at Rodolphus; who had found his own wand after breaking the lock of greenhouse during the battle when no one was paying any attention to him. Ted, on the other hand, hadn't taken his eyes off the limp form on the ground; with the blonde hair and the small nose; she wasn't moving.

"What's going on out here?" came the voice of Professor Dumbledore from the direction of the castle side-entrance. Andromeda caught once last glimpse of the two Lestranges, or soon to be anyway, Disapparating from the school grounds rather than face up to the crime that most Death Eaters would have been proud to admit to.

"I'm sorry, Mr Tonks, but she's dead". Andromeda had been too busy cutting her family ties to see that Ted had jumped off the greenhouse roof and collapsed on Nelly's body in a fit of tears that Nelly would have appreciated. She had finally relinquished her duties as protector.


	7. Epilogue

"I want to thank you all for coming today; I know that she would have loved to see so many people wanting to wish her a last goodbye". The speaker was Nelly's mother, who had requested that some of he students and teachers be let out of the school in order to attend the funeral. Mrs White, for that was Nelly's last name, was a stout witch with jet black hair that in a certain light looked the same purple as an aubergine. Her robes were completely black, much like the majority of the mourners, but she wore a yellow rose to symbolise that house that both she and her daughter had been honoured to be apart of.

"And now Professor Dumbledore, headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, would like to say a few words on her behalf".

"Thank you, Lydia. Miss White was a very humble student at Hogwarts; although she had quarrels with some students she was very well learned and considered a good friend to Hufflepuff house and beyond. What happened to her was a great injustice and she died fighting until the last second. There are a lot of rumours that the students of Hufflepuff house never amount to anything and yet on night Miss White demonstrated not only the determination of Hufflepuff, but also the knowledge and wit of Ravenclaw, the cunning and ambition of Slytherin, and of course the courage an chivalry of Gryffindor. I have made it my duty to place charms on the school so that no one will ever be able to Dissaparate out of it again, and it goes without saying that Nymphadora's memory will always be most deservedly preserved at Hogwarts".

As Professor Dumbledore left the podium to respected and controlled applause, Andromeda couldn't help thinking that there was something strange about his speech.

"I think it's inappropriate to say she demonstrated a likeness to Slytherin, after how she died it just doesn't seem right".

"But she did" Ted assured her; "You of all people know that there's some good in Slytherin".

"I suppose. Did Dumbledore say her name was Nymphadora?"

"He did. She always hated the name, that's why she got everyone to call her Nelly; I don't think she told many people about it, it is a strange name after all".

"I think it's beautiful"

"Sounds better if you abbreviate it to 'Dora though"

"Like 'Dromeda?" she smiled.

"You know I love your name, 'Dromeda" and he too smiled, "Why does it bother you anyway?"

"It doesn't bother me. But it's like Dumbledore said, she deserves to have her memory preserved and not just at Hogwarts".

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Promise you'll love me forever and you'll find out soon enough".

"Forever, then". After they had said goodbye to Nelly, for regardless of the real name they had grown to love she would still always be known as that, they took hold of each other's hands and walked away from the tombstone, knowing and hoping that one day their protector might come back to them in a different form.

_End._


End file.
